


In the Heat of the Night

by EvensDramaticShenanigans



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: (its like one sentence), 1930s, Best Friends, Childhood Friends, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Grinding, Hand Jobs, Love Confessions, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Pining, Pre-Canon, Pre-Captain America: The First Avenger, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 06:47:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14731967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EvensDramaticShenanigans/pseuds/EvensDramaticShenanigans
Summary: In the end, Steve wasn’t really sure what it was that spurred him on, but suddenly he was moving into Bucky’s space, rolling right onto his chest and pressing him down into the mattress. “If you don’t stop goin’ on about how hot it is I’m gonna give you a reason to feel hot,” he muttered, hovering close and staring unblinkingly into Bucky’s eyes.





	In the Heat of the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thekardemomme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekardemomme/gifts).



> Happy happy happy birthday to my best friend, the pickle to my biscuit, the blue to my jacques, the bucky to my steve, the love of my whole entire life, [Caroline](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekardemomme/pseuds/thekardemomme) <3
> 
> When we first met I thought you were the coolest person in the world— and I still do. I had read some of your skam fics before and I even remembered your url from The Old Days and I couldn’t believe that I actually had the opportunity to interact with you and get to know you. And from what I remember from the beginning of it all, I always thought you were so completely badass yet so incredibly kind with the biggest heart of gold. As we started talking more and we grew closer and closer I found that you’re all of those things times ten and so much more. You’re so incredibly bold and brave, sweet and gentle, caring and full of love. You’re the fiercest friend; loyal and protective, always there for me no matter what, and you give the world’s best advice about everything. You always know what to say to make me feel better or to make me laugh or bring a smile to my face no matter what and every single day I feel like the luckiest person in the entire universe to have you in my life as my best friend. You’ve got so much talent in you and every day I’m in awe and inspired by you and the beautiful works of art that your mind creates. I strive to be able to do with my words what you can do with yours. 
> 
> I’ve loved every single second that we’ve spent bonding over our American roots, our inability to deal with the fake bullshit of the world, all of the late night streaming sessions and whatsapp conversations that involved screaming what we’d like Nick Robinson to do to us, every break down we’ve had, every ranting session we’ve shared, every grain of salt we've spilled, every fic idea we’ve hopelessly screamed into the abyss about. Thank you for always being in my corner, thank you for your constant support and encouragement, thank you for being such a genuinely wonderful person and the best friend I could have ever hoped to have.
> 
> I hope that your birthday today is everything you could have ever hoped for and more. Eat lots of cake and celebrate to your heart’s content. I wanted to get you the world for your birthday, because that’s what you deserve, but it was on backorder, so I wrote you this fic instead. I love you so so so much and I hope you like this present, from me to you <333
> 
> Title comes from [In The Heat of the Night](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_xjg5hhJoo) by Imagination

Summer evenings always tended to be on the hot side, but there was just something extra muggy about the Brooklyn heat— especially tonight. Though hot didn’t even begin to describe Steve’s room. It was sweltering, practically a sauna, they were actually going to melt— at least according to Bucky. Steve’s room was pretty small, and despite the fact that the window was wide open and the curtains were pushed to the side in order for maximum ventilation, the circulation was still utter shit. The two of them were lying side by side on Steve’s bed, the duvet and sheets pushed all the way to the bottom of the bed, ready to fall right off the edge at any second— not that either boy really cared much.

Sharing a bed with Bucky wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for Steve. It had happened more times than he could count over the years growing up together, and neither of them had ever found it weird. It was almost like second nature to fall into bed besides Bucky nowadays, and Steve often found himself having trouble falling asleep without Bucky’s weight dipping the mattress beside him. Steve used to chalk that up to the fact that he’d just grown so used to Bucky being there— he was his best friend after all and they did everything together— but it had been growing clearer and clearer as to why he  _ really _ missed having Bucky there. (And it totally had  _ nothing _ to do with the way they sometimes woke up wrapped up in each other.)

Steve was lying flat on his back, staring up at the ceiling with his hands folded and resting against his sternum. His eyes were narrowed, his brow furrowed in concentration as he focused his attention on the cracks running along the ceiling.  _ One. Two. Three. Oh, look a fourth _ . He was trying to count them all— a silly distraction that would keep him from stealing furtive glances of his best friend where he was sprawled out to Steve’s left.

Beside him, Bucky shifted uncomfortably on the mattress, stretching out to try and unstick his back from the sheets below. Steve was doing his absolute best not to let his eyes stray, no matter how much he wanted to see the smooth arch of Bucky’s back, but it was a truly challenging feat. Bucky let out a groan and dropped back against the mattress, before throwing his arm across his forehead. “Steve,” he started, letting his head loll to the side so he could glance over at Steve.

Try as he might, Steve really had no self control when it came to Bucky, and he was already looking back with a slightly amused curl to his lips. “Yeah, Buck?” He asked, already sure of what Bucky was going to say next. He’d been loudly complaining about the heat for the past twenty minutes— Steve would actually be surprised if it  _ wasn’t _ about the heat. 

“Steve, it’s so hot in here I’m gonna pass out. I feel like I’m stuck in a fireplace right now. Like, you’re gonna wake up in the morning and I’m just gonna be a pile of ashes next to you— it’s  _ that _ hot,” Bucky responded dramatically, earning a snort and an eye roll from Steve.

“Okay, yeah, it is pretty hot, but it’s not  _ that _ bad,” Steve replied, shaking his head at Bucky. “You’re not gonna turn into a pile of ashes, Buck. Quit being so dramatic.” 

“But it  _ is _ that hot,” Bucky whined. “If the heat was a physical thing, you bet your ass you’d be tryin’ to fight it right now,” he pointed out, earning a solid elbow to the ribs from Steve.

“I would not,” Steve tried to argue, but Bucky cut him off before he could say anything else. 

“You so would,” Bucky countered, turning onto his side so he could properly face Steve. “You’d probably get in a few good hits but then I’d have to come and punch it right in the face and save your ass,” he teased, reaching over to playfully shove Steve right back. 

Steve rolled his eyes at Bucky, but laughed anyways and watched as Bucky propped himself up onto an elbow and rested his head against his palm, a lazy grin unfurling across his lips as his eyes roamed Steve’s face.

“Y’know what would be great right now?” Bucky asked.

Steve hummed in response and fixed him with a curious gaze. 

“If your room was Antarctica or somethin’,” Bucky finished, beaming wide. “I just wanna lay down in some ice right now. Bet that’d cool me right off.” 

Steve laughed out. “You’d probably get hypothermia and freeze,” he pointed out. “Then you’d be wishin’ you were back here.”

Bucky shrugged. “Freezin’ doesn’t sound half bad right now,” he replied. “I wish we were still at the water,” he sighed wistfully. 

_ Yeah, me too _ , Steve thought.  _ Then I could see you in those tight little swim shorts again _ .

Suddenly, Bucky was bolting out of his comfortable position so that he was sitting upright in the bed. Then he raised an arm and bent it at a slightly awkward looking angle behind his back. Steve was confused for a moment before he realized that Bucky was reaching for the neckline of the back of his t-shirt. Steve watched, wide-eyed as Bucky started to lift the fabric and pull, the bottom hem beginning to drag up his torso— all of it so slow that Steve was half convinced that Bucky was trying to put on a show. The longer he looked, the shallower his breathing got— and it had nothing to do with his asthma. 

The shirt was nearly off, but then a strangled noise and a muttered curse came from beneath it and Bucky stopped moving. “I think… I think m’ stuck,” he mumbled.

Steve barked out a laugh and could just tell that Bucky was rolling his eyes at him from beneath his shirt. “Who’s the one that needs savin’ now?” Steve asked, a smug undertone to his voice.

“Oh, piss off, ya punk,” Bucky retorted good-naturedly. 

Steve was seconds away from reaching out to try and help when Bucky finally managed to yank the shirt over his head and all the way off. His hair was mussed up from the battle with the cotton and his cheeks had a pink hue to them from the slight exertion, and Steve wanted nothing more than to kiss that triumphant grin right off of his pretty pink lips. He wasn’t entirely sure how Bucky did it, but somehow he managed to look nothing short of both the most adorable thing Steve had ever seen and the hottest. 

Bucky wadded the shirt up and tossed it to the side before flopping back against the bed. He folded his arms up behind his head and let his eyes slip shut, that lazy grin returning to pull at the corners of his mouth. Either he was incredibly oblivious to the way Steve was shamelessly staring, slack-jawed at him, or he was incredibly aware of it and knew  _ exactly _ what he was doing.

With Bucky’s eyes shut and attention elsewhere, Steve took the opportunity to ogle his best friend— and really, who could blame him? The way Bucky was stretched out across Steve’s bed, looking like he was exactly where he belonged with his whole body right there on display was making Steve’s boxers feel much tighter. He was having a hard time dragging his eyes away from the sharp planes of Bucky’s chest and the smooth ridges of his abs. The distinct v-shaped indents of his hips drew Steve in, and his eyes followed the light dusting of hair that led right from Bucky’s belly button to the waistband of his boxers and disappeared below. Steve’s gaze lingered on the front of Bucky’s boxers for a moment, and he felt almost light-headed with want. 

“Steve,” Bucky suddenly whined, dragging out the syllables of his name.

Bucky’s tone snapped Steve out of his trance and he froze, his whole body flushing hotly at the prospect of being caught staring. His eyes darted from the front of Bucky’s pants back up to his eyes only to find them still shut. Steve nearly let out a sigh of relief at that— he wasn’t sure how exactly he’d explain himself out of that one. 

Except not even a second later, Bucky’s eyelids peeled back, and all of the sudden Steve was staring right into his shining blue eyes. And, god, were they the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen. Bluer than the lake they’d been splashing about in earlier that day and clearer than the skies above. Steve didn’t think he’d ever seen a pair that beautiful— not even any of the dames compared. Again, Steve found himself lost in a Bucky-induced trance— one that Bucky himself once again pulled him out of by whining out his name.

“Steve, I’m so hot,” Bucky complained, fluttering his eyelashes. 

And Steve was so hopelessly distracted, planning out the pages and pages of his sketchbook he could dedicate to Bucky’s eyes alone that he nearly responded with a dazed “yeah you are.” Thankfully, he managed to catch himself before the words slipped out of his mouth. That did nothing to stop the blush from darkening his cheeks even more than they already were. At this point he honestly wouldn’t be surprised if Bucky was able to notice how red he was even in the dark. Steve floundered, trying to think of an appropriate response, but before he could come up with anything Bucky was reaching out to clutch at Steve’s hand, his eyes going startlingly wide. 

Steve’s breath caught in his throat as Bucky’s hand slipped into his, and Bucky laced their fingers together before pulling their joined hands to rest against the center of his chest. The skin of his palm, callused from working at the docks, was rough against Steve’s, and Steve couldn’t help but wonder what that hand would feel like touching other parts of him.

“Steve,” Bucky repeated, giving Steve’s hand a squeeze. “Thanks for being my best friend. You’re the best, I love you, it’s been nice knowin’ you. I think I’ve got like three bucks under my mattress at home— it’s all yours ‘cause I’m about to melt. I thought takin’ off my shirt would help, but it’s just as bad. It’s so hot, I dunno how much longer I can take the heat,” he drawled dramatically.

And maybe it was Bucky’s melodramatic, yet entirely casual declaration of love— platonic or romantic, Steve wasn’t really sure, but that didn’t even matter— and the way he was holding Steve’s hand in his own. Maybe it was the not-so-subtle touches Steve, at the time, hadn’t given a second thought to or those not-so-sly glances Bucky had been sending him at the lake that made him think maybe, just maybe his feelings weren’t as one-sided as he originally thought. Or maybe it was the darkness that surrounded them and made Steve feel brave. In the end, he couldn’t really pinpoint what it was that spurred him on, but suddenly he was moving into Bucky’s space, rolling right onto his chest and pressing him down into the mattress. “If you don’t stop goin’ on about how hot it is I’m gonna give you a reason to feel hot,” he muttered, hovering close and staring unblinkingly into Bucky’s eyes. With that unbridled confidence still blazing through his veins, Steve decided to take another chance and he rolled his hips down into Bucky’s to make sure the meaning behind his message was clear.

Any further griping about the heat died on Bucky’s lips and his eyes widened in surprise. The shock only lasted for a few brief seconds, however, before the corners of his lips were pulling up into the beginnings of a smirk and one eyebrow slowly quirked up. “Shit Steve,” Bucky breathed out, bringing a hand up to rest against Steve’s hip before finding its way underneath the hem of his shirt and to the small of his back.

Steve’s heart was hammering so fast in his chest and he couldn’t quite place whether that was normal, given the circumstances, or if it was the beginnings of a heart attack. Should it be the latter, this would be one hell of a way to go. That previous wonder about what it would feel like to have Bucky’s hands all over him began to dissipate as Bucky dragged his palm along Steve’s back. The touch was light, yet purposeful, and Steve found that it was so much better than he ever could have imagined— and they hadn’t even gotten to the good part yet. The skin below Bucky’s hand felt like it was burning in the best way possible, and Steve couldn’t help but arch into the touch. 

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Bucky asked cheekily before sending a saucy wink in Steve’s direction.

Steve’s breath caught in his throat but soon a grin of his own was spreading across his lips. “Which would you prefer?” He questioned playfully, arching his own eyebrow in response. 

A nonchalant expression crossed over Bucky’s features and he gave a casual, one-shouldered shrug. “Either one so long as it keeps you on top of me,” he replied, punctuating his answer with a short thrust up of his own. 

“Wow, I never thought I’d hear you say somethin’ like that,” Steve breathed out, chuckling softly. Their faces were only inches apart as Steve held himself above Bucky, a few strands of his hair falling into his eyes, and he couldn’t stop his gaze from flickering to Bucky’s lips. 

Bucky reached up to push the hair away, to tuck it behind Steve’s ear, and he rested his palm against Steve’s cheek, cradling it gently. “I never thought we’d end up like this,” he replied. “Always wanted to, but I’ve always been too afraid of scarin’ you off to make a move,” Bucky admitted softly. 

“You don’t have to be afraid,” Steve reassured, giving a short shake of his head. “I want this— want  _ you _ .”

A slow smile spread across Bucky’s face and then he was tipping his chin up, just enough to capture Steve’s parted lips in a kiss so fierce it sent sparks flying through Steve’s entire body, lighting him up from inside out. 

Steve responded to the kiss immediately, surprising even himself with just how zealous he was. He’d never been kissed before and he wasn’t really sure if he was even doing it right, but Bucky’s mouth was warm against his and his lips were so soft— much softer than Steve imagined they’d be— and they were so encouraging, coaxing him along. He gently nipped at Steve’s lower lip and pushed his tongue into Steve’s open mouth, deepening the kiss. What had started off as impassioned, yet tactful was now taking on an enthusiastically bold approach, and Steve could feel his confidence growing. 

Steve almost couldn’t believe it— that he was lying here, in his bed, kissing Bucky.  _ Bucky _ . His best friend— the very boy who had been by his side since before he could walk or talk, who’d had his back through everything, who always ruffled his hair and called him a punk. He was the one person in Steve’s life that Steve had never felt more comfortable with— like he could do anything, say anything, be anything around Bucky without ever having to pretend or hide or lie— and now he was  _ kissing him _ . It almost felt too good to be true, but as Bucky shifted below Steve and his erection suddenly pressed into Steve’s thigh, he knew without a doubt that it was far too real to be something he dreamed up.

And there was no way that he could have dreamed up the way the hand Bucky had resting against his back started to slip down the curve of his spine until it was cupping a good handful of Steve’s ass. Steve’s dick gave a very interested twitch at that and he couldn’t stop the short moan that rose from his throat and spilled into Bucky’s mouth. 

Bucky was still gripping Steve’s face in his hand, and he pushed it up the side of his face until his fingers were buried in the back of Steve’s hair, threading tightly into the blonde tresses. His other hand was holding onto Steve’s ass firmly, pulling him closer against his own body. Steve willingly obliged, wanting nothing more than to be as close to Bucky as humanly possible— in every single way. He let his legs spread apart so that they fell to either side of Bucky’s hips and he was straddling him between his thighs. It took Steve a second to get his bearings, but once he did he wasted no time experimentally grinding down into Bucky’s lap, and he was more than pleased with the resulting moan it pulled from Bucky. 

The longer Steve worked his hips over Bucky’s the messier their kiss got. At this point it was more the two of them panting into each other’s mouths than it was kissing, but neither one of them seemed to care. At a particularly slow roll of Steve’s hips, Bucky threw his head back against the pillow. His eyes screwed up tight and his mouth dropped open in a silent moan as a shudder ran through his body. The hand he had in Steve’s hair snaked down his back and settled against his hip, his fingers digging into the skin there.

“Oh,  _ Steve _ . Faster,  _ please _ , holy shit,” Bucky managed to groan out before Steve was kissing him again. Steve swallowed down Bucky’s moans and couldn’t stop a few of his own from spilling out. What could he say? He just really loved kissing Bucky. It was quickly turning out to be one of his favorite hobbies and he wasn’t afraid to let that be known.

The kiss didn’t last as long as the first one, however, because suddenly Bucky drove his hips up to meet Steve’s thrusts, and Steve gasped at the overwhelming friction. The arm he was using to brace himself suddenly buckled and he fell against Bucky’s chest. His eyes had fallen shut from the force of the feelings and his breathing was ragged.

“You alright?” Bucky asked, slowing his hips and touching his fingers to Steve’s cheek.

Steve blinked his eyes back open and flashed Bucky a lopsided smile. “Shit, Buck, m’doin’ great,” he panted out, nodding briefly before ducking down to press a quick kiss to Bucky’s lips. “I could do this all day,” he grinned, kissing him again, this time long and deep.

Bucky’s laughter quickly turned into a drawn out moan as Steve grinded his hips down, and the sound went straight to Steve’s dick. Steve had gotten off before, plenty of times, but none of those times had ever come close to feeling this good. Bucky hadn’t even gotten a hand on him yet— might not even be able to at the rate they were going— but Steve already knew that there was no way that just his own hand would ever suffice again. Not when something as good as this was in the realm of possibilities.

Steve could already feel his orgasm building, the heat in his stomach curling tightly and tips of his toes beginning to tingle. He slowed down the pace of his hips to stave his orgasm off, working them unhurriedly back and forth over Bucky’s and he let his hand trail down Bucky’s chest and abdomen all the way to the front of his boxers where he cupped Bucky through the fabric.

His heart was rabbiting in his chest as Bucky gasped out and he could feel the way it kicked up a notch as Bucky’s hands slipped from where they were gripping Steve’s hips down past the elastic waistband of his boxers so he could grab two handfuls of Steve’s ass. 

“More,  _ please _ ,” Steve whined out, pressing back into Bucky’s hands. He tilted his head and latched his lips onto the side of Bucky’s neck, messily pressing wet, open-mouthed kisses to the smooth skin there. He slowly hooked two fingers into Bucky’s boxers, coyly toying with the waistband for a moment before pushing his hand the rest of the way in. 

The second Steve’s fingers closed around Bucky’s dick, Bucky’s hips jerked forward and his eyes rolled back. “Fuck Steve,” he hissed after a choked off sound fell from his open mouth. “Just like that. Feels so good,” he gasped.

Though Steve couldn’t see it, he could feel just how big Bucky was. His dick was hard and heavy in Steve’s hand and he took a moment to trace the pad of his thumb around the tip, swiping over the precome that had been collecting there. Steve tightened his grip and began to pull his palm down towards the base and once he reached it he wasted no time stroking his hand back up to the tip, just as slow. 

Below him, Bucky’s chest was rising and falling at a much quicker rate, his nostrils flaring as he tried to control his breathing, and that only spurred Steve on. He sped up his movements, twisting his hand and tracing his thumb along the vein on the underside of Bucky’s cock. Bucky’s head was still thrown back and he wasn’t doing anything to stop any of the sounds that were spilling from his mouth. A particularly loud shout of Steve’s name had Steve’s dick twitching in his boxers and he shifted on top of Bucky so that he could start grinding against his thigh again, pushing both Bucky and himself closer to the edge. 

It didn’t take very long before Bucky was writhing beneath Steve, his hips bucking up into Steve’s hand as he chased after his release. “Steve, m’close… m’gonna…” Bucky warned, grunting as Steve pumped his fist over Bucky’s dick even faster.

“C’mon, Buck, let go for me” Steve encouraged, feeling his own orgasm beginning to creep up on him, the fire in his gut beginning to spread throughout his body. At this point it was only a matter of time before he would have to give in to it.

“Steve,” Bucky choked out, his body beginning to seize up. His hands moved up Steve’s back, scrabbling for purchase at his skin and his eyes squeezed tightly shut, mouth falling open. “Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he cried out as his orgasm crashed into him and he came hard into Steve’s hand. 

And, god, being able to witness Bucky coming first hand like this was on a whole different plane of existence than Steve’s dreams. He’d thought his fantasies had been exceptional, but actually experiencing Bucky give himself over to pleasure— hearing all the sounds and seeing all the sights and being the one that did that to him,  _ god _ , it was  _ so  _ much better.

Steve jerked Bucky through the aftershocks of his orgasm, gradually loosening his grasp and slowing his pulls as Bucky started to come back down. His lower half was working so fast that his thrusts were barely even thrusts anymore, just messy falters of his hips, but that was the last thing on Steve’s mind. He didn’t really care how perfect his technique was so long as the end result was achieved— and achieved it would be. 

His clean hand found its way into Bucky’s hair, his fingers running through it before clutching onto it desperately. Steve managed to last a little bit longer before his hips stuttered, his legs tightening around Bucky’s thighs, and all the muscles in his body clenched as his orgasm washed over him. “Bucky,” he cried before collapsing against Bucky’s chest and burying his face into the crook of Bucky’s neck.

Steve’s breathing was coming out heavy and he was trembling from the force of his orgasm and the waves of pleasure that were still radiating through his body. Bucky’s arms curled around his waist, holding Steve close as he came back to himself. 

After a few seconds and some deep regulating breaths, Steve managed to roll off of Bucky and into the empty space beside him. Steve felt like he was floating, all sated and boneless, and honestly, it was the best kind of feeling. He knew sex could be good, but he never imagined it would ever be  _ that _ good. Maybe that was just because it was with Bucky.

Almost immediately, Bucky’s hands were grabbing at him, pulling him back into his chest despite the fact that they were sticky and sweaty and the room hadn’t cooled down at all. In fact, it seemed like it had gotten ten times hotter than it had been before— but neither Stever nor Bucky seemed to mind much right now.

“C’mere,” Bucky mumbled, grinning lazily over at Steve. His cheeks were flushed, eyes glassy and shining, and his hair was sticking up in all different directions from Steve’s fingers, but he still looked absolutely beautiful. Through the open window, a peal of moonlight filtered into the bedroom, streaming across Bucky’s face, highlighting all his pretty features. 

Steve wriggled his way into Bucky’s arms and brought a hand up to cup Bucky’s chin, his thumb pressing against its cleft. He let his head rest against Bucky’s bicep and a warm smile spread across his lips as he met Bucky’s eyes. “Hi,” he murmured softly.

“Hey there, doll,” Bucky responded, charming as ever. With the arm that wasn’t curled around Steve’s waist, he reached up to brush a few of the pesky strands of hair that kept falling into Steve’s eyes. Bucky twisted a lock around his finger before tucking it to the side. 

“I can’t believe that just happened,” Steve breathed out, laughing softly. And he really couldn’t. Had anyone told him he’d end up falling into bed with his best friend, well, first of all he’d be surprised as hell because the only kind of talk about homosexual behavior there was was the negative kind that spoke about how all sodomizers would go to hell, and second, once he got over the fact that he wasn’t being condemned, he probably would have laughed it off as some sort of twisted joke to make him feel bad about his feelings. 

Bucky chuckled along and tipped his head to the side just enough that his lips were pressed against Steve’s palm. “Me neither,” he echoed. “M’glad it did, though,” he added on a softer note, twining his legs with Steve’s. “That was so much better than I ever imagined.”

Steve quirked an eyebrow at that, a cheeky smirk curving onto his lips. “Oh? So you’ve imagined us doing that before?” He teased.

Bucky ducked his head bashfully, but didn’t deny it. In fact, he did quite the opposite. “I always… wondered… what it would be like. To be with you— in  _ that _ way, yeah, and just in general too,” he confessed. “It kinda started out with just the smaller things— things I didn’t really think much of. But then when I would see you with all the dames I’d set you up with there was always this weird feelin’ I would get. At first I thought I was jealous of  _ you _ — which was ridiculous ‘cause I’d have a dame of my own, so it’s not like I was alone. So that couldn’t be why I felt weird. I don’t really know when it all clicked, but eventually I realized that weird feelin’ was because I was jealous of  _ the dames _ — I wanted to be in their place. To hold  _ your  _ hand, and have you look at  _ me  _ the way you looked at  _ them _ , and to go dancin’ with  _ you _ .”

“I always felt weird during those double dates too,” Steve admitted. “I never was particularly fond of any of the dames you introduced me too, but that wasn’t really their fault. I always found myself more interested in what you had to say or what you wanted to do,” he said. “And it’s not like any of them were all that interested in me either,” he shrugged.

Bucky’s brow furrowed and his lips twisted into a small frown. “Hey,” he said. “That’s on them. They didn’t know what they were missin’. Besides, I’d like to think it’s a pretty good thing none of them ever got to keen on you, though. Couldn’t have you gettin’ swept off your feet and stolen away from me. I don’t think any of them coulda ever loved you the way I do anyways.”

_ I don’t think any of them coulda ever loved you the way I do _ .

_ Love _ . 

Bucky  _ loved _ him. 

Steve’s heart was pounding so hard in his chest he was afraid that it would burst right out of his ribcage. He bit down on his lip, trying to control the huge smile that was threatening to take over his entire face, but it was a pretty useless feat. “Love?” He echoed, lifting a brow in Bucky’s direction. He wasn’t sure how he managed to keep his voice from shaking— with excitement, with anticipation— but it came out completely composed, which was something he totally wasn’t. How could he be when the very man he’d loved for most of his life just told him he loved him too? 

Bucky nodded and dropped his hand from where he’d been caressing Steve’s hair down to the wrist of the hand Steve had cradling his face. He gently pulled Steve’s palm away from his chin and pressed his own against it, tangling their fingers together. “Love,” he confirmed. “I think I’ve loved you for a while now. Like I said before, I never mentioned it ‘cause I didn’t know if you felt the same and I didn’t wanna scare you off.” 

“Buck,” Steve whispered, unable to mask the giddiness in his voice. He brought Bucky’s hand up to his lips and he pressed a chaste kiss to his knuckles before giving it a squeeze. “I’ve loved you for a while now, too.”

“How long have you known?” Bucky asked curiously.

“I think I’ve always known in a way— like it’s always been sittin’ there in my subconscious. But I think I really realized on my twelfth birthday when you got me that new set of fancy pencils for my sketchbook. You coulda saved that money, or given it to you ma to help her with rent or the groceries or your sisters but you spent it on me, and you had the biggest smile on your face while you waited for me to open them. And it’s funny ‘cause it was  _ my  _ birthday and I was opening a gift you got  _ me _ , but you were the one that looked like you’d found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.”

There was a sparkle of something akin to wonder in Bucky’s eyes as he gazed back at Steve, and Steve felt his heart melt. “Your twelfth birthday?” Bucky repeated in awe. “That was six years ago,” he breathed out. 

Steve nodded. “It was six years ago,” he confirmed. “But I think I’ve loved you for even longer than that. I mean, I _know_ I’ve loved you my whole life. It just took me a few years to figure out that loving you and _being in love with_ _you_ were two different things— but two different things that I both felt. And still feel.” 

“God, Steve, could you be any more perfect?” Bucky responded, staring into Steve’s eyes for a brief moment before swooping down to capture his lips in another searing kiss. When he pulled away, however, there was a wistful smile on his face that immediately sent a jet of panic coursing through Steve’s veins. “It’s too bad this is the only night we’ll get to have together,” Bucky sighed, his tone melancholy and defeated. 

Steve’s blood turned to ice and it felt as though his heart plummeted right to the bottom of his stomach. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Had… had this all been some sort of sick joke to Bucky? Had he figured out Steve’s feelings before hand and this was some way to string Steve along and get his hopes up only to tear it all away so soon? Steve didn’t think Bucky could be that cruel, especially to him, but he’d been wrong about people before. 

“What?” He demanded, confusion spilling from his voice. He shifted in Bucky’s arms so he could sit up enough to properly look at Bucky. 

“Yeah,” Bucky replied, and Steve recoiled. “S’a shame out first night had to be our last too, but I actually think this heat’s gonna suffocate me.”

“ _ Bucky _ ,” Steve hissed, a flood of relief washing through him as his whole body relaxed.

“What?” Bucky asked cheekily, and Steve could tell he knew exactly what he’d done.

“You  _ asshole _ ,” Steve answered, though the tone of his voice and the smile on his face gave away his lack of real anger.

“Hey now,” Bucky said, dipping his head so he could brush his nose sweetly against Steve’s. “You can’t get rid of me that easily, punk. I love you too much,” he grinned, smacking one, two, three quick kisses to Steve’s lips. They were both smiling so big that their kisses weren’t even real kisses anymore, but they were still perfect to Steve. 

“Wouldn’t ever dream of it, jerk,” Steve responded before brining their lips back together again so he could kiss that grin right off of Bucky’s face.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Let me know what you thought with a kudos or a comment! 
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> Come say [hi](http://evensdramaticshenanigans.tumblr.com/)!


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